УРАЛЬСКИЙ СОЦИАЛЬНО-ЭКОНОМИЧЕСКИЙ ИНСТИТУТ АКАДЕМИИ ТРУДА И СОЦИАЛЬНЫХ ОТНОШЕНИЙ
Кафедра иностранных языков
АНГЛИЙСКИЙ ЯЗЫК Учебное пособие по домашнему чтению
Челябинск
2010
Read with pleasure!: Английский язык: Учебное пособие по домашнему чтению / Сост.: Е.А. Боровых, Ю.С. Гурьевских; УрСЭИ АТиСО. – Челябинск, 2010. – 60 с.
Учебное пособие по домашнему чтению предназначено для аудиторной и самостоятельной работы студентов II курса экономических специальностей вуза. Студентам предлагается система различных заданий, основанных на лексике изучаемых текстов.
Учебное пособие составлено в соответствии с государственным образовательным стандартом высшего профессионального образования.
Составители |
Боровых Е.А., ст. преподаватель кафедры иностранных |
|
языков УрСЭИ |
|
Гурьевских Ю.С., ст. преподаватель кафедры |
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иностранных языков УрСЭИ |
Рецензент |
Кислицына С.В., канд. филол. наук, доцент кафедры |
|
иностранных языков УрСЭИ |
Рекомендовано к изданию редакционно-издательским советом УрСЭИ Утверждено ученым советом
©Уральский социально-экономический институт Академии труда и социальных отношений, 2010
©Боровых Е.А., Гурьевских Ю.С., 2010
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Предисловие
Учебное пособие по домашнему чтению «Read with pleasure!» – результат авторских поисков новых методов обучения, с помощью которых можно повысить мотивацию в изучении английского языка. В сборник включены тексты из оригинальных учебных изданий, статьи из экономических журналов,
газет и интернет-источников.
Материалы пособия включают восемь тематических циклов, являющихся дополнением к учебнику “World of Work” ( Н. Н. Колесникова, Г. В. Данилова,
Л.В. Гарузова, Л. Н. Девяткина): “Career Choice” (“ Выбор профессии”), “The Backbone of the Society” (“ Основа общества”), “The Famous Person” (“ Известный деятель”), “ А Job Interview” (“ Собеседование при устройстве на работу”), “Work.Profession” (“ Работа. Профессия”), “The ILO” (“ Междуна-
родная организация труда”), “ Trade Unions” (“ Профсоюзы”), “English as a World Language” (“ Английский язык – язык мирового сообщества”). Каждый цикл состоит из 2-3 текстов, соответствующих обсуждаемой теме. Отбор текстов был сделан исходя из программных требований для II курса очного отделения. В приложении даны выражения и клише, необходимые для подготовки пересказов и составления аннотаций.
После каждого текста студентам предлагается сделать следующие задания: vocabulary practice (отработка и активизация лексических единиц); text analysis (анализ и детальная характеристика текста); discussion (обсуждение прочитанного материала, передача содержания на иностранном языке,
выражение собственного мнения по поводу прочитанного). В систему устных форм работы входят различные упражнения на сопоставления русских и английских эквивалентов, подстановочные упражнения, вопросно-ответные задания. Вопросы для обсуждения подобраны с таким расчётом, чтобы приблизить аудиторное занятие к условиям естественного общения. Также представлен ряд новых упражнений, в число которых можно включить проблемные и ролевые ситуации, беседу, дискуссию. Упражнения такого типа
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повышают коммуникативные навыки студентов, расширяют их кругозор,
развивают умение сотрудничать с другими студентами.
Большое значение отводится самостоятельной подготовке студентов при организации и проведении занятий по домашнему чтению, так как изначально домашнее чтение относится к разряду самостоятельной работы студентов. На занятиях английского языка осуществляется контроль и проверка домашнего задания. Контроль может осуществляться как индивидуально, так и в группе.
Такая деятельность побуждает студентов к творческому выполнению заданий.
Домашнее чтение – это интересная форма работы на занятиях по иностранному языку. Чтение текстов и диалогов поможет расширить кругозор,
получить много полезной информации о социальных проблемах, которые волнуют человечество сегодня. Читая новые тексты, вы можете узнать и закрепить лексику и речевые образцы, приобрести страноведческие знания.
Домашнее чтение должно стать дополнительным средством в изучении иностранного языка и помочь вам совершенствовать ваши знания.
Материалы пособия могут быть использованы для аудиторной и самостоятельной работы, а также в качестве дополнительных заданий на факультативных занятиях и на курсах английского языка. Пособие адресовано тем, кто, работая с преподавателем или самостоятельно, ставит перед собой задачу развития навыков устной речи.
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I. CAREER CHOICE
1. Hollywood Hopefuls
There are thousands of British actresses who flock to Hollywood every year with the burning ambition to make it as the next big star. Here people in the entertainment business talk about the realities of life in the film capital of the world.
A Sean Macaulay − Hollywood journalist: "British actresses think Lo s Angeles (LA) is the land of opportunity. They see icons like Kate Winslet and think it's possible to be successful here. But for everyone that makes it, there are thousands who end up attending acting classes and chasing agents. They don't want to go home again because they are too proud − they feel t hey can't go back until they are superstars."
B Daniel Doty − Hollywood agent: "It's much harder to make it he re that anyone realizes. The film industry attracts a million wannabes who really think they are going to be discovered. They come here with dreams of making it overnight, but it’s much more difficult than that. There are too many people doing the same thing. One prerequisite is to become a member of the Screen Actors Guild. British girls have also the added disadvantage of having to get the right visa to work in the USA."
C Cheridan Best − actress: "Five years ago I really thought I'd be the next Whoopi Goldberg living in a fabulous home with a swimming pool. In reality I live in an apartment on $400 a week and eat at fast-food joints. I moved to LA at 36, following the breakdown of my marriage. I have nothing except my son. I got an agent really quickly which is a big break in itself, but I've only had a few acting jobs. I just don't get sent to enough auditions. I average maybe three a month, but I know other girls who are sent to as many each week. I think being black has a lot to do with it. The casting directors have a certain look they want and it doesn't matter how talented you are. I've learnt that it isn't necessarily the people who are talented who get the jobs − it's all about what you look lik e and who you know. I'd love to go back to Britain, but my son is in school here. Now I work as an aerobics instructor."
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D Nicki Flux − actress: "I'm tenacious and have no doubt that I ’ll make it as a movie star one day. Right now I do extra work, modelling, whatever it takes. After drama school, I wanted to move to the USA. Fortunately, my husband, a computer specialist, got a job here. It took me two years to land any acting work. During that time my marriage broke up − we just didn't have the same goals. But I have some lean times − living for months on noodles and watching every drop of petrol, in case I got an audition. However, recently I've had small roles in The X-FILES and ALLY McBEAL − I feel like I'm learning and I lo ve it. I've got an agent and I can be sent to around 10 auditions in one week. I truly believe I can succeed − I wouldn't be here if I didn't."
Do the Following Tasks:
Vocabulary Practice
1.What do the underlined words / phrases mean? Can you explain them in English?
2.Make up appropriate word-combinations (verb + noun). Write down three sentences of your own using these phrases:
To attend |
the same goals |
To get |
every drop of petrol |
To chase |
acting classes |
To have |
the right visa |
To watch |
agents |
Text Analysis
1.For questions 1−10, choose from the answers A−D.
A − Sean Macaulay |
C − Cheridan Best |
B − Daniel Doty |
D − Nicki Flux |
Which of these people…
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1)feels the actresses want to prove themselves before returning to their roots?
2)mentions the legal procedures?
3)thinks people in the business lie?
4)tries some other occupations in order to make a living?
5)has already had acting roles in the USA?
6)has had a failed marriage?
7)feels that talent is not enough to succeed?
8)has a family commitment which keeps him/her in the USA?
9)is sure he/she will be successful?
10)thinks that Hollywood is not a fairy-tale, but a school of survival?
2. In pairs, decide whether the following statements are true or false:
a)Every year thousands of agents flock to Hollywood in order to find a job.
b)It's very difficult for British actresses to settle on a job in Hollywood and Kate Winslet is a pleasant exception.
c)A film industry attracts millions of actors who are individual and unique.
d)One advantage for British actresses is that they have to get the right visa to work in the USA.
e)Every young actress has auditions in Hollywood every week.
f)Most actresses believe that one day they'll become movie stars.
g)Actresses in Hollywood never settle on extra jobs, they are too proud of their artistic vocation.
Discussion
Discuss the following questions:
1.What obstacles should young actors and actresses overcome in order to become successful in Hollywood?
2.Do you know any Russian actors or actresses who became movie stars in Hollywood? What personal traits and professional skills do they possess?
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2. Getting a Life
Matthew Brown speaks on how one council solved its staff turnover problem by giving workers control over their hours.
Six months ago, Carol Wyatt was on the verge of leaving her job as an inquiry officer in the housing benefit department of Merton council, south London. It wasn’t that she didn’t like it; she had even taken a salary cut to take the post in November last year. But the journey to work was taking its toll.
She had to be in at 9am, when the phones started ringing, but that meant caring for her elderly mother every morning before braving the rush hour traffic. “I used to get quite stressed sitting on the bus, hardly moving, knowing there was nothing I could do about it”, she says. “I don’t handle that sort o f thing too well”.
Normal flexi-time did not apply to the job and Wyatt told her line manager she wanted to leave. She was not the only one. As the authority’s assistant chief executive, Keith Davis, readily admits, the council was hardly what they call an employer of choice.
Prompted by the public services union Unison, Merton applied for – and won 50000 pound sterlings from the government’s challenge fund to pilot a ‘work-life balance’ scheme in three departments, including housing and council benefits. A programme was devised after a series of focus groups, run by consultancy Briony Group, in which employees were asked to say how they would like to work in an ideal world. Staff raised concerns about rigid working times and inflexible core hours and came up with suggestions for a four-day week and homeworking.
Although not all ideas were taken up, the pilot has been an unqualified success: sickness levels in the housing benefit section dropped by half, productivity is up, a backlog of cases has been dealt with – and Wyatt is still there. Merton was recently held up by the government as a model of good practice for public sector employers, and has published a national guide to work-life balance, funded jointly with Unison.
So what changed? Office hours were extended, so that people can now work any time between 7am and 7pm, and core hours were abolished. Staff can take time off as
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and when they need it to meet other commitments, as long as they make it up and meet their targets.
Wyatt now goes to work early, arriving well before 9 am to avoid the morning traffic, and leaves mid-afternoon. “It has made all the difference,” she says. “It really does make you feel you have got more control over your life. It gives me a chance to organize my working time around my other needs.”
Other people arrive later in the morning after taking their children to school, or take time out when they have appointments; some people like to work late when it is quieter; and others work at home some days so that they can be there when the plumber calls, or the new sofa is delivered.
According to deputy benefits manager Rebecca Strang, it was clear within two weeks that the new system was going to work well for all concerned. “It made all our lives easier,” she says. “The staff was happier, te am morale went up, and there was more incentive to finish workloads. If the new was taken away now, there would be World War III in my office.”
Davis is adamant that the scheme is not a backhanded way of improving council services and extending working hours. He says, “Of course, there are some basic rules – mainly, that the service comes first. Peopl e have to commit to that. But we are finding that staff are working together to cover each other. There is a lot of selfrostering.”
Far from taking it away, Davis is now extending the scheme across the authority, introducing six-month trials in three more departments this month. He is even looking at ways of introducing a nine-day fortnight. “Now w e are asking, ‘Why can’t it work?’ rather than just saying, ‘It can’t work.’ Th e only thing that could stifle it is lack of imagination.”
Do the Following Tasks:
Vocabulary Practice
1.Explain the highlighted words in the text in your own words. Then look at the explanations below and match:
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v., to have a very bad effect on something or someone over a long period of time;
v., to stop something from happening or developing;
v., to test a new idea, product etc. on people to find out whether it will be successful;
adj., to be determined not to change your opinion, decision etc;
n., something that you have previously arranged to do at a certain time and that prevents you from doing anything else at that time;
adj., the most important or central part of something;
v., to plan or invent a way of doing something complicated and clever;
n., a large amount of work, especially that should already have been completed.
2.Match the items to form collocations used in the text. What do they mean in the text?
A |
B |
on the |
suggestions |
taking its |
notice |
raised |
toll |
came up with |
verge of |
meet their |
targets |
at short |
concerns |
Text Analysis
In pairs, explain the following phrases (taken from the text) in your own words.
1.“Now we are asking ‘Why can’t it work?’ rather than just saying ‘it can’t work’…
2.“I don’t handle that sort of thing too well.”
3. |
“Merton was…held up by the government as a model of good practice.” |
4. |
“Of cause there are some basic rules – mainly, that the service comes first…” |
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